Energy storage device for wireless environmental applications

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are described for receiving wireless power and providing wired power. In some embodiments, a wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus comprises a housing and one or more antennas situated within the housing. The antennas are configured to receive wireless radio frequency (RF) power from a wireless charging system. One or more electronic circuit boards (PCBs) situated within the housing are included, and the one or more electronic circuit boards are configured to convert the received wireless RF power to direct current (DC) power. The apparatus also comprises one or more batteries configured to store the DC power and a port configured to couple with a cable external to the housing and to provide stored DC power from the one or more batteries to the cable.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technology described herein relates generally to the field ofwireless power transmission and reception processing and, morespecifically, to apparatus and techniques to store energy deliveredwirelessly and to provide the stored energy to devices incapable ofbeing operated or recharged by wireless power.

BACKGROUND

Many electronic devices are powered by batteries. Rechargeable batteriesare often used to avoid the cost of replacing conventional dry-cellbatteries and to conserve precious resources. However, rechargingbatteries with conventional rechargeable battery chargers requiresaccess to an alternating current (AC) power outlet, which is sometimesnot available or not convenient. It would, therefore, be desirable toaccess battery recharging power for electronic devices wirelessly.

In the field of wireless charging, safe and reliable use within abusiness or home environment is of the utmost concern. To date, wirelesscharging has been limited to magnetic or inductive charging basedsolutions. Unfortunately, these solutions require a wireless powercharging transmission system and a receiver to be in relatively closeproximity to one another. Wireless power transmission at largerdistances requires more advanced mechanisms such as, for example,transmission via radio frequency (RF) signals, ultrasonic transmissions,laser powering, to name a few, each of which presents a number of uniquehurdles to commercial success.

The most viable systems to date utilize power transmission via RF.However, in the context of RF transmission within a residence,commercial building, or other habited environment, there are manyreasons to limit the RF exposure levels of the transmitted signals.Consequently, power delivery is constrained to relatively low powerlevels (typically on the order of milliWatts). Due to this low energytransfer rate, it is imperative that the system is efficient.

In a free space wireless environment, radiation from an omnidirectionalradiator or antenna propagates as an expanding sphere. The power densityis reduced as the surface area of the sphere increases in the ratio of1/r², where r is the radius of the sphere. This type of radiator isoften referred to as isotropic, with an omnidirectional radiationpattern, and it is usual to refer to antennas in terms of theirdirectivity vs. gain as dBi—decibels over isotropic. If the intendedreceiver of the transmission is at a particular point relative to thetransmitting radiator, being able to direct the power toward an intendedreceiver means that more power will be available at the receiving systemfor a given distance than would have been the case if the power had beenomnidirectional radiated. This concept of directivity is very importantbecause it improves the system performance. A very simple analog is seenin the use of a small lamp to provide light and the effect of directingthe energy using a reflector or lens to make a flashlight where thepower is used to illuminate a preferred region at the expense of havinglittle to no illumination elsewhere.

Central to mechanisms for directionally focusing transmissions incharging-over-the-air (COTA) systems is the ability to receivewirelessly transmitted power and to either use the power immediately orto store it for later use. There are many battery-powered devices havinginternal rechargeable batteries that rely on corded connections withpower sources to operate or to receive charging power to replenish spentbattery energy. These legacy devices are not typically capable of beingretrofitted with COTA technology to eliminate the need for receivingrecharging power via attached cords.

Accordingly, a need exists for technology that overcomes the problemdemonstrated above. The examples provided herein of some prior orrelated systems and their associated limitations are intended to beillustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of existing or priorsystems will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon readingthe following Detailed Description.

OVERVIEW

In one example, a wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus comprises ahousing and one or more antennas situated within the housing. Theantennas are configured to receive wireless radio frequency (RF) powerfrom a wireless charging system. One or more electronic circuit boards(PCBs) situated within the housing are included, and the one or moreelectronic circuit boards are configured to convert the receivedwireless RF power to direct current (DC) power. The apparatus alsocomprises one or more batteries configured to store the DC power and aport configured to couple with a cable external to the housing and toprovide stored DC power from the one or more batteries to the cable.

In another example, a wirelessly chargeable energy storage devicecomprises a housing, one or more antennas configured to receive wirelessradio frequency (RF) power from a wireless charging system, and one ormore printed circuit boards (PCBs) positioned within the housing andcoupled with the one or more antennas. The one or more electroniccircuit boards are configured to convert the received wireless RF powerto direct current (DC) power. The device also comprises an energystorage device configured to store the DC power and an output portelectrically couples with the energy storage device, wherein the outputport is configured to provide stored DC power from the energy storagedevice to a cable extending away from the housing and coupled therewith.

In another example, a method of manufacturing a wirelessly chargeablebattery apparatus comprises coupling one or more antennas configured toreceive wireless radio frequency (RF) power from a wireless chargingsystem to one or more electronic circuit boards (PCBs) configured toconvert the received wireless RF power to direct current (DC) power andcoupling one or more batteries configured to store the DC power to theone or more PCBs. The method also comprises positioning the one or morePCBs and the one or more batteries within a housing and coupling anoutput port to the one or more batteries, wherein the output port isconfigured to couple with a cable external to the housing and to providestored DC power from the one or more batteries to the cable.

The details of one or more examples of the disclosure are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by wayof example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanyingdrawings, in which like references indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram including an example wireless powerdelivery environment illustrating wireless power delivery from one ormore wireless power transmission systems to various wireless deviceswithin the wireless power delivery environment in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts a sequence diagram illustrating example operationsbetween a wireless power transmission system and a wireless receiverclient for commencing wireless power delivery in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of awireless power transmission system in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of awireless power receiver client in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts an exploded view of an exemplary physical model of thewireless power receiver client of FIG. 4 in accordance with someembodiments.

FIGS. 6A and 6B depict diagrams illustrating an example multipathwireless power delivery environment in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example determination of an incidentangle of a wavefront in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example minimum omnidirectionalwavefront angle detector in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 9 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of arepresentative mobile device or tablet computer with one or morewireless power receiver clients in the form of a mobile (or smart) phoneor tablet computer device in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 10 depicts a diagrammatic representation of a machine, in theexample form, of a computer system within which a set of instructions,for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and drawings are illustrative and are not tobe construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described toprovide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, in certaininstances, well-known or conventional details are not described in orderto avoid obscuring the description. References to one or an embodimentin the present disclosure can be, but not necessarily are, references tothe same embodiment; and, such references mean at least one of theembodiments.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic describedin connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodimentof the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” invarious places in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodimentsmutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features aredescribed which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others.Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirementsfor some embodiments but no other embodiments.

The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinarymeanings in the art, within the context of the disclosure, and in thespecific context where each term is used. Certain terms that are used todescribe the disclosure are discussed below, or elsewhere in thespecification, to provide additional guidance to the practitionerregarding the description of the disclosure. For convenience, certainterms may be highlighted, for example using italics and/or quotationmarks. The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaningof a term; the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the samecontext, whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated thatsame thing can be said in more than one way.

Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used for any oneor more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any special significanceto be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussedherein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one ormore synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use ofexamples anywhere in this specification, including examples of any termsdiscussed herein, is illustrative only, and is not intended to furtherlimit the scope and meaning of the disclosure or of any exemplifiedterm. Likewise, the disclosure is not limited to various embodimentsgiven in this specification.

Without intent to further limit the scope of the disclosure, examples ofinstruments, apparatus, methods and their related results according tothe embodiments of the present disclosure are given below. Note thattitles or subtitles may be used in the examples for convenience of areader, which in no way should limit the scope of the disclosure. Unlessotherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein havethe same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in theart to which this disclosure pertains. In the case of conflict, thepresent document, including definitions, will control.

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram including an example wireless powerdelivery environment 100 illustrating wireless power delivery from oneor more wireless power transmission systems (WPTS) 101 a-n (alsoreferred to as “wireless power delivery systems”, “antenna arraysystems” and “wireless chargers”) to various wireless devices 102 a-nwithin the wireless power delivery environment 100, according to someembodiments. More specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates an example wirelesspower delivery environment 100 in which wireless power and/or data canbe delivered to available wireless devices 102 a-102 n having one ormore wireless power receiver clients 103 a-103 n (also referred toherein as “clients” and “wireless power receivers”). The wireless powerreceiver clients are configured to receive and process wireless powerfrom one or more wireless power transmission systems 101 a-101 n.Components of an example wireless power receiver client 103 are shownand discussed in greater detail with reference to FIG. 4.

As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the wireless devices 102 a-102 ninclude mobile phone devices and a wireless game controller. However,the wireless devices 102 a-102 n can be any device or system that needspower and is capable of receiving wireless power via one or moreintegrated power receiver clients 103 a-103 n. As discussed herein, theone or more integrated power receiver clients receive and process powerfrom one or more wireless power transmission systems 101 a-101 n andprovide the power to the wireless devices 102 a-102 n (or internalbatteries of the wireless devices) for operation thereof.

Each wireless power transmission system 101 can include multipleantennas 104 a-n, e.g., an antenna array including hundreds or thousandsof antennas, which are capable of delivering wireless power to wirelessdevices 102. In some embodiments, the antennas are adaptively-phasedradio frequency (RF) antennas. The wireless power transmission system101 is capable of determining the appropriate phases with which todeliver a coherent power transmission signal to the power receiverclients 103. The array is configured to emit a signal (e.g., continuouswave or pulsed power transmission signal) from multiple antennas at aspecific phase relative to each other. It is appreciated that use of theterm “array” does not necessarily limit the antenna array to anyspecific array structure. That is, the antenna array does not need to bestructured in a specific “array” form or geometry. Furthermore, as usedherein the term “array” or “array system” may be used to include relatedand peripheral circuitry for signal generation, reception andtransmission, such as radios, digital logic and modems. In someembodiments, the wireless power transmission system 101 can have anembedded Wi-Fi hub for data communications via one or more antennas ortransceivers.

The wireless devices 102 can include one or more receive power clients103. As illustrated in the example of FIG. 1, power delivery antennas104 a-104 n are shown. The power delivery antennas 104 a are configuredto provide delivery of wireless radio frequency power in the wirelesspower delivery environment. In some embodiments, one or more of thepower delivery antennas 104 a-104 n can alternatively or additionally beconfigured for data communications in addition to or in lieu of wirelesspower delivery. The one or more data communication antennas areconfigured to send data communications to and receive datacommunications from the power receiver clients 103 a-103 n and/or thewireless devices 102 a-102 n. In some embodiments, the datacommunication antennas can communicate via Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi™, ZigBee™,etc. Other data communication protocols are also possible.

Each power receiver client 103 a-103 n includes one or more antennas(not shown) for receiving signals from the wireless power transmissionsystems 101 a-101 n. Likewise, each wireless power transmission system101 a-101 n includes an antenna array having one or more antennas and/orsets of antennas capable of emitting continuous wave or discrete (pulse)signals at specific phases relative to each other. As discussed above,each the wireless power transmission systems 101 a-101 n is capable ofdetermining the appropriate phases for delivering the coherent signalsto the power receiver clients 102 a-102 n. For example, in someembodiments, coherent signals can be determined by computing the complexconjugate of a received beacon (or calibration) signal at each antennaof the array such that the coherent signal is phased for deliveringpower to the particular power receiver client that transmitted thebeacon (or calibration) signal.

Although not illustrated, each component of the environment, e.g.,wireless device, wireless power transmission system, etc., can includecontrol and synchronization mechanisms, e.g., a data communicationsynchronization module. The wireless power transmission systems 101a-101 n can be connected to a power source such as, for example, a poweroutlet or source connecting the wireless power transmission systems to astandard or primary alternating current (AC) power supply in a building.Alternatively, or additionally, one or more of the wireless powertransmission systems 101 a-101 n can be powered by a battery or viaother mechanisms, e.g., solar cells, etc.

The power receiver clients 102 a-102 n and/or the wireless powertransmission systems 101 a-101 n are configured to operate in amultipath wireless power delivery environment. That is, the powerreceiver clients 102 a-102 n and the wireless power transmission systems101 a-101 n are configured to utilize reflective objects 106 such as,for example, walls or other RF reflective obstructions within range totransmit beacon (or calibration) signals and/or receive wireless powerand/or data within the wireless power delivery environment. Thereflective objects 106 can be utilized for multi-directional signalcommunication regardless of whether a blocking object is in the line ofsight between the wireless power transmission system and the powerreceiver client.

As described herein, each wireless device 102 a-102 n can be any systemand/or device, and/or any combination of devices/systems that canestablish a connection with another device, a server and/or othersystems within the example environment 100. In some embodiments, thewireless devices 102 a-102 n include displays or other outputfunctionalities to present data to a user and/or input functionalitiesto receive data from the user. By way of example, a wireless device 102can be, but is not limited to, a video game controller, a serverdesktop, a desktop computer, a computer cluster, a mobile computingdevice such as a notebook, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, amobile phone, a smart phone, a PDA, a Blackberry device, a Treo, and/oran iPhone, etc. By way of example and not limitation, the wirelessdevice 102 can also be any wearable device such as watches, necklaces,rings or even devices embedded on or within the user/client. Otherexamples of a wireless device 102 include, but are not limited to,safety sensors (e.g., fire or carbon monoxide), electric toothbrushes,electronic door lock/handles, electric light switch controller, electricshavers, etc.

Although not illustrated in the example of FIG. 1, the wireless powertransmission system 101 and the power receiver clients 103 a-103 n caneach include a data communication module for communication via a datachannel. Alternatively, or additionally, the power receiver clients 103a-103 n can direct the wireless devices 102.1-102.n to communicate withthe wireless power transmission system via existing data communicationsmodules. In some embodiments the beacon signal, which is primarilyreferred to herein as a continuous waveform, can alternatively oradditionally take the form of a modulated signal.

FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram 200 illustrating example operations betweena wireless power delivery system (e.g., WPTS 101) and a wireless powerreceiver client (e.g., wireless power receiver client 103) forestablishing wireless power delivery in a multipath wireless powerdelivery, according to an embodiment. Initially, communication isestablished between the wireless power transmission system 101 and thepower receiver client 103. The initial communication can be, forexample, a data communication link that is established via one or moreantennas 104 of the wireless power transmission system 101. Asdiscussed, in some embodiments, one or more of the antennas 104 a-104 ncan be data antennas, wireless power transmission antennas, ordual-purpose data/power antennas. Various information can be exchangedbetween the wireless power transmission system 101 and the wirelesspower receiver client 103 over this data communication channel. Forexample, wireless power signaling can be time sliced among variousclients in a wireless power delivery environment. In such cases, thewireless power transmission system 101 can send beacon scheduleinformation, e.g., Beacon Beat Schedule (BBS) cycle, power cycleinformation, etc., so that the wireless power receiver client 103 knowswhen to transmit (broadcast) its beacon signals and when to listen forpower, etc.

Continuing with the example of FIG. 2, the wireless power transmissionsystem 101 selects one or more wireless power receiver clients forreceiving power and sends the beacon schedule information to the selectpower receiver clients 103. The wireless power transmission system 101can also send power transmission scheduling information so that thepower receiver client 103 knows when to expect (e.g., a window of time)wireless power from the wireless power transmission system. The powerreceiver client 103 then generates a beacon (or calibration) signal andbroadcasts the beacon during an assigned beacon transmission window (ortime slice) indicated by the beacon schedule information, e.g., BeaconBeat Schedule (BBS) cycle. As discussed herein, the wireless powerreceiver client 103 include one or more antennas (or transceivers) whichhave a radiation and reception pattern in three-dimensional spaceproximate to the wireless device 102 in which the power receiver client103 is embedded.

The wireless power transmission system 101 receives the beacon from thepower receiver client 103 and detects and/or otherwise measures thephase (or direction) from which the beacon signal is received atmultiple antennas. The wireless power transmission system 101 thendelivers wireless power to the power receiver client 103 from themultiple antennas 103 based on the detected or measured phase (ordirection) of the received beacon at each of the corresponding antennas.In some embodiments, the wireless power transmission system 101determines the complex conjugate of the measured phase of the beacon anduses the complex conjugate to determine a transmit phase that configuresthe antennas for delivering and/or otherwise directing wireless power tothe power receiver client 103 via the same path over which the beaconsignal was received from the power receiver client 103.

In some embodiments, the wireless power transmission system 101 includesmany antennas; one or more of which are used to deliver power to thepower receiver client 103. The wireless power transmission system 101can detect and/or otherwise determine or measure phases at which thebeacon signals are received at each antenna. The large number ofantennas may result in different phases of the beacon signal beingreceived at each antenna of the wireless power transmission system 101.As discussed above, the wireless power transmission system 101 candetermine the complex conjugate of the beacon signals received at eachantenna. Using the complex conjugates, one or more antennas may emit asignal that takes into account the effects of the large number ofantennas in the wireless power transmission system 101. In other words,the wireless power transmission system 101 can emit a wireless powertransmission signal from the one or more antennas in such a way as tocreate an aggregate signal from the one or more of the antennas thatapproximately recreates the waveform of the beacon in the oppositedirection. Said another way, the wireless power transmission system 101can deliver wireless RF power to the client device via the same pathsover which the beacon signal is received at the wireless powertransmission system 101. These paths can utilize reflective objects 106within the environment. Additionally, the wireless power transmissionsignals can be simultaneously transmitted from the wireless powertransmission system 101 such that the wireless power transmissionsignals collectively match the antenna radiation and reception patternof the client device in a three-dimensional (3D) space proximate to theclient device.

As shown, the beacon (or calibration) signals can be periodicallytransmitted by power receiver clients 103 within the power deliveryenvironment according to, for example, the BBS, so that the wirelesspower transmission system 101 can maintain knowledge and/or otherwisetrack the location of the power receiver clients 103 in the wirelesspower delivery environment. The process of receiving beacon signals froma wireless power receiver client at the wireless power transmissionsystem and, in turn, responding with wireless power directed to thatparticular client is referred to herein as retrodirective wireless powerdelivery.

Furthermore, as discussed herein, wireless power can be delivered inpower cycles defined by power schedule information. A more detailedexample of the signaling required to commence wireless power delivery isdescribed now with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating example components of a wirelesspower transmission system 300, in accordance with an embodiment. Asillustrated in the example of FIG. 3, the wireless charger 300 includesa master bus controller (MBC) board and multiple mezzanine boards thatcollectively comprise the antenna array. The MBC includes control logic310, an external data interface (I/F) 315, an external power interface(I/F) 320, a communication block 330 and proxy 340. The mezzanine (orantenna array boards 350) each include multiple antennas 360 a-360 n.Some or all of the components can be omitted in some embodiments.Additional components are also possible. For example, in someembodiments only one of communication block 330 or proxy 340 may beincluded.

The control logic 310 is configured to provide control and intelligenceto the array components. The control logic 310 may comprise one or moreprocessors, FPGAs, memory units, etc., and direct and control thevarious data and power communications. The communication block 330 candirect data communications on a data carrier frequency, such as the basesignal clock for clock synchronization. The data communications can beBluetooth™, Wi-Fi™, ZigBee™, etc., including combinations or variationsthereof. Likewise, the proxy 340 can communicate with clients via datacommunications as discussed herein. The data communications can be, byway of example and not limitation, Bluetooth™, Wi-Fi™, ZigBee™, etc.Other communication protocols are possible.

In some embodiments, the control logic 310 can also facilitate and/orotherwise enable data aggregation for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.In some embodiments, wireless power receiver clients can access, trackand/or otherwise obtain IoT information about the device in which thewireless power receiver client is embedded and provide that IoTinformation to the wireless power transmission system 300 over a dataconnection. This IoT information can be provided via an external datainterface 315 to a central or cloud-based system (not shown) where thedata can be aggregated, processed, etc. For example, the central systemcan process the data to identify various trends across geographies,wireless power transmission systems, environments, devices, etc. In someembodiments, the aggregated data and or the trend data can be used toimprove operation of the devices via remote updates, etc. Alternatively,or additionally, in some embodiments, the aggregated data can beprovided to third party data consumers. In this manner, the wirelesspower transmission system acts as a Gateway or Enabler for the IoTs. Byway of example and not limitation, the IoT information can includecapabilities of the device in which the wireless power receiver clientis embedded, usage information of the device, power levels of thedevice, information obtained by the device or the wireless powerreceiver client itself, e.g., via sensors, etc.

The external power interface 320 is configured to receive external powerand provide the power to various components. In some embodiments, theexternal power interface 320 may be configured to receive a standardexternal 24 Volt power supply. In other embodiments, the external powerinterface 320 can be, for example, 120/240 Volt AC mains to an embeddedDC power supply which sources the required 12/24/48 Volt DC to providethe power to various components. Alternatively, the external powerinterface could be a DC supply which sources the required 12/24/48 VoltsDC. Alternative configurations are also possible.

In operation, the master bus controller (MBC), which controls thewireless power transmission system 300, receives power from a powersource and is activated. The MBC then activates the proxy antennaelements on the wireless power transmission system and the proxy antennaelements enter a default “discovery” mode to identify available wirelessreceiver clients within range of the wireless power transmission system.When a client is found, the antenna elements on the wireless powertransmission system power on, enumerate, and (optionally) calibrate.

The MBC then generates beacon transmission scheduling information andpower transmission scheduling information during a scheduling process.The scheduling process includes selection of power receiver clients. Forexample, the MBC can select power receiver clients for powertransmission and generate a Beacon Beat Schedule (BBS) cycle and a PowerSchedule (PS) for the selected wireless power receiver clients. Asdiscussed herein, the power receiver clients can be selected based ontheir corresponding properties and/or requirements.

In some embodiments, the MBC can also identify and/or otherwise selectavailable clients that will have their status queried in the ClientQuery Table (CQT). Clients that are placed in the CQT are those on“standby”, e.g., not receiving a charge. The BBS and PS are calculatedbased on vital information about the clients such as, for example,battery status, current activity/usage, how much longer the client hasuntil it runs out of power, priority in terms of usage, etc.

The Proxy AE broadcasts the BBS to all clients. As discussed herein, theBBS indicates when each client should send a beacon. Likewise, the PSindicates when and to which clients the array should send power to andwhen clients should listen for wireless power. Each client startsbroadcasting its beacon and receiving power from the array per the BBSand PS. The Proxy can concurrently query the Client Query Table to checkthe status of other available clients. In some embodiments, a client canonly exist in the BBS or the CQT (e.g., waitlist), but not in both. Theinformation collected in the previous step continuously and/orperiodically updates the BBS cycle and/or the PS.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating example components of a wirelesspower receiver client, in accordance with some embodiments. Asillustrated in the example of FIG. 4, the receiver 400 includes controllogic 402, energy storage device 406, an IoT control module 408,communication block 410 and associated antenna 424, power meter 412,rectifier 414, a combiner 416, beacon signal generator 418, beaconcoding module 420 and an associated antenna 426, and switch 422connecting the rectifier 414 or the beacon signal generator 418 to oneor more associated antennas 428 a-n. Some or all of the components canbe omitted in some embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, thewireless power receiver client does not include its own antennas butinstead utilizes and/or otherwise shares one or more antennas (e.g.,Wi-Fi antenna) of the wireless device in which the wireless powerreceiver client is embedded. Moreover, in some embodiments, the wirelesspower receiver client may include a single antenna that provides datatransmission functionality as well as power/data receptionfunctionality. Additional components are also possible.

A combiner 416 receives and combines the received power transmissionsignals from the power transmitter in the event that the receiver 400has more than one antenna. The combiner can be any combiner or dividercircuit that is configured to achieve isolation between the output portswhile maintaining a matched condition. For example, the combiner 416 canbe a Wilkinson Power Divider circuit. The rectifier 414 receives thecombined power transmission signal from the combiner 416, if present,and converts the received wireless RF power to direct current (DC) powerthat is fed through the power meter 412 to the energy storage device 406for charging. In other embodiments, each antenna's power path can haveits own rectifier 414 and the DC power out of the rectifiers is combinedprior to feeding the power meter 412. The power meter 412 can measurethe received power signal strength and provides the control logic 402with this measurement.

In some embodiments, energy storage device 406 may include a battery, acapacitor, an ultra-capacitor, or other storage device capable ofreceiving and storing charging energy. Energy storage device 406 caninclude protection circuitry and/or monitoring functions. Additionally,the energy storage device 406 can include one or more features,including, but not limited to, current limiting, temperature protection,over/under voltage alerts and protection, and coulomb monitoring.

The control logic 402 can receive the battery power level from theenergy storage device 406 itself. The control logic 402 may alsotransmit/receive via the communication block 410 a data signal on a datacarrier frequency, such as the base signal clock for clocksynchronization. The beacon signal generator 418 generates the beaconsignal, or calibration signal, transmits the beacon signal using eitherthe antenna 426 or 428 after the beacon signal is encoded.

It may be noted that, although the energy storage device 406 is shown ascharged by, and providing power to, the receiver 400, the receiver mayalso receive its power directly from the rectifier 414. This may be inaddition to the rectifier 414 providing charging current to the energystorage device 406, or in lieu of providing charging. Also, it may benoted that the use of multiple antennas is one example of implementationand the structure may be reduced to one shared antenna.

In some embodiments, the control logic 402 and/or the IoT control module408 can communicate with and/or otherwise derive IoT information fromthe device in which the wireless power receiver client 400 is embedded.Although not shown, in some embodiments, the wireless power receiverclient 400 can have one or more data connections (wired or wireless)with the device in which the wireless power receiver client 400 isembedded over which IoT information can be obtained. Alternatively, oradditionally, IoT information can be determined and/or inferred by thewireless power receiver client 400, e.g., via one or more sensors. Asdiscussed above, the IoT information can include, but is not limited to,information about the capabilities of the device in which the wirelesspower receiver client is embedded, usage information of the device inwhich the wireless power receiver client is embedded, power levels ofthe battery or batteries of the device in which the wireless powerreceiver client is embedded, and/or information obtained or inferred bythe device in which the wireless power receiver client is embedded orthe wireless power receiver client itself, e.g., via sensors, etc.

In some embodiments, a client identifier (ID) module 404 stores a clientID that can uniquely identify the power receiver client in a wirelesspower delivery environment. For example, the ID can be transmitted toone or more wireless power transmission systems when communication isestablished. In some embodiments, power receiver clients may also beable to receive and identify other power receiver clients in a wirelesspower delivery environment based on the client ID.

An optional motion sensor 430 can detect motion and signal the controllogic 402 to act accordingly. For example, a device receiving power mayintegrate motion detection mechanisms such as accelerometers orequivalent mechanisms to detect motion. Once the device detects that itis in motion, it may be assumed that it is being handled by a user, andwould trigger a signal to the array to either to stop transmittingpower, or to lower the power transmitted to the device. In someembodiments, when a device is used in a moving environment like a car,train or plane, the power might only be transmitted intermittently or ata reduced level unless the device is critically low on power.

In one embodiment, client 400 provides an external output port 432 toprovide power from energy storage device 406 to an external device 434via an external cable 436 plugged into port 432 and extending away fromthe housing to external device 434. As illustrated, a non-wireless,external device 434 includes an internal battery 438 configured toaccept energy via an external port 440 to recharge its energy storagelevel or state of charge. Ports 432 and 440 may be configured accordingto industry standards. For example, ports 432 and 440 may be universalserial bus (USB) port interfaces designed according to USB standardprotocols and specifications. A voltage converter 442 coupled to energystorage device 406 is designed to convert charging energy supplied byenergy storage device 406 into the desired energy supplied by port 432.In the case of the USB protocol, the voltage can be converted to 5 volts(V) DC. However, voltage converter 442 may be alternatively designed tosupply other DC voltage levels such as, for example, 1.8V DC, 3.3V DC,12V DC, 24V DC, etc. or other AC voltage levels such as, for example,120V AC, 220V AC, etc. and may be configured to receive a connectorother than a USB connector such as a barrel connector. Once received atport 440, the energy supplied by client 400 may be converted by avoltage converter 444 in external device 434 to the appropriate level tocharge battery 438.

In some embodiment, energy storage device 406 is a rechargeable batterybased on lithium-ion technology such as a lithium-ion polymer (LiPo)battery. However, other rechargeable battery technologies are alsocontemplated herein, and energy storage device 406 is not limited to aparticular technology type.

Wireless power receiver client 400 also includes one or more indicators446 electrically coupled to control logic 402 to indicate a status ofthe operation of client 400. For example, indicator 446 may be alight-emitting diode (LED) or other visual indicator. More than oneindicator may further be included to provide simultaneous statusindications if desired. Control logic 402 may cause indicator 446 toprovide multiple status signals for respective operational statuses ofclient 400. Indicator 446 may indicate, for example, when client 400 isreceiving wireless power, when client 400 is supplying power via port432, when a fault is detected, or other status indications as desired.Indicators 446 are visible from outside a case or chassis 448 of client400 and may extend through or from case 448 or may be visible through anaperture 450 of case 448.

FIG. 5 depicts an exploded view of an exemplary physical model of thewireless power receiver client 400 in accordance with some embodiments.Case 448 includes a top portion 452 coupled to a bottom portion 454 toform an enclosure. One or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) 456, 458are provided to connect the electrical components together designed tocarry out embodiments of the invention described herein. As illustrated,in the case of USB implementation of port 432, a USB connector 460 isprovided. A battery connector 462 couples energy storage device 406 tothe unit architecture. Antennas 424-428 may be implemented as patchantennas positioned on the outside face of either or both PCBs 456, 458and create a more orientation-independent power receiver when positionedon both.

FIGS. 6A and 6B depict diagrams illustrating an example multipathwireless power delivery environment 600, according to some embodiments.The multipath wireless power delivery environment 600 includes a useroperating a wireless device 602 including one or more wireless powerreceiver clients 603. The wireless device 602 and the one or morewireless power receiver clients 603 can be wireless device 102 of FIG. 1and wireless power receiver client 103 of FIG. 1 or wireless powerreceiver client 400 of FIG. 4, respectively, although alternativeconfigurations are possible. Likewise, wireless power transmissionsystem 601 can be wireless power transmission system 101 FIG. 1 orwireless power transmission system 300 of FIG. 3, although alternativeconfigurations are possible. The multipath wireless power deliveryenvironment 600 includes reflective objects 606 and various absorptiveobjects, e.g., users, or humans, furniture, etc.

Wireless device 602 includes one or more antennas (or transceivers) thathave a radiation and reception pattern 610 in three-dimensional spaceproximate to the wireless device 102. The one or more antennas (ortransceivers) can be wholly or partially included as part of thewireless device 602 and/or the wireless power receiver client (notshown). For example, in some embodiments one or more antennas, e.g.,Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. of the wireless device 602 can be utilized and/orotherwise shared for wireless power reception. As shown in the exampleof FIGS. 6A and 6B, the radiation and reception pattern 610 comprises alobe pattern with a primary lobe and multiple side lobes. Other patternsare also possible.

The wireless device 602 transmits a beacon (or calibration) signal overmultiple paths to the wireless power transmission system 601. Asdiscussed herein, the wireless device 602 transmits the beacon in thedirection of the radiation and reception pattern 610 such that thestrength of the received beacon signal by the wireless powertransmission system, e.g., RSSI, depends on the radiation and receptionpattern 610. For example, beacon signals are not transmitted where thereare nulls in the radiation and reception pattern 610 and beacon signalsare the strongest at the peaks in the radiation and reception pattern610, e.g., peak of the primary lobe. As shown in the example of FIG. 6A,the wireless device 602 transmits beacon signals over five paths P1-P5.Paths P4 and P5 are blocked by reflective and/or absorptive object 606.The wireless power transmission system 601 receives beacon signals ofincreasing strengths via paths P1-P3. The bolder lines indicate strongersignals. In some embodiments the beacon signals are directionallytransmitted in this manner to, for example, avoid unnecessary RF energyexposure to the user.

A fundamental property of antennas is that the receiving pattern(sensitivity as a function of direction) of an antenna when used forreceiving is identical to the far-field radiation pattern of the antennawhen used for transmitting. This is a consequence of the reciprocitytheorem in electromagnetics. As shown in the example of FIGS. 6A and 6B,the radiation and reception pattern 610 is a three-dimensional lobeshape. However, the radiation and reception pattern 610 can be anynumber of shapes depending on the type or types, e.g., horn antennas,simple vertical antenna, etc. used in the antenna design. For example,the radiation and reception pattern 610 can comprise various directivepatterns. Any number of different antenna radiation and receptionpatterns are possible for each of multiple client devices in a wirelesspower delivery environment.

Referring again to FIG. 6A, the wireless power transmission system 601receives the beacon (or calibration) signal via multiple paths P1-P3 atmultiple antennas or transceivers. As shown, paths P2 and P3 are directline of sight paths while path P1 is a non-line of sight path. Once thebeacon (or calibration) signal is received by the wireless powertransmission system 601, the power transmission system 601 processes thebeacon (or calibration) signal to determine one or more receivecharacteristics of the beacon signal at each of the multiple antennas.For example, among other operations, the wireless power transmissionsystem 601 can measure the phases at which the beacon signal is receivedat each of the multiple antennas or transceivers.

The wireless power transmission system 601 processes the one or morereceive characteristics of the beacon signal at each of the multipleantennas to determine or measure one or more wireless power transmitcharacteristics for each of the multiple RF transceivers based on theone or more receive characteristics of the beacon (or calibration)signal as measured at the corresponding antenna or transceiver. By wayof example and not limitation, the wireless power transmitcharacteristics can include phase settings for each antenna ortransceiver, transmission power settings, etc.

As discussed herein, the wireless power transmission system 601determines the wireless power transmit characteristics such that, oncethe antennas or transceivers are configured, the multiple antennas ortransceivers are operable to transmit a wireless power signal thatmatches the client radiation and reception pattern in thethree-dimensional space proximate to the client device. FIG. 6Billustrates the wireless power transmission system 601 transmittingwireless power via paths P1-P3 to the wireless device 602.Advantageously, as discussed herein, the wireless power signal matchesthe client radiation and reception pattern 610 in the three-dimensionalspace proximate to the client device. Said another way, the wirelesspower transmission system will transmit the wireless power signals inthe direction in which the wireless power receiver has maximum gain,e.g., will receive the greater wireless power. As a result, no signalsare sent in directions in which the wireless power receiver cannotreceive it, e.g., nulls and blockages. In some embodiments, the wirelesspower transmission system 601 measures the RSSI of the received beaconsignal and if the beacon is less than a threshold value, the wirelesspower transmission system will not send wireless power over that path.

The three paths shown in the example of FIGS. 6A and 6B are illustratedfor simplicity, it is appreciated that any number of paths can beutilized for transmitting power to the wireless device 602 depending on,among other factors, reflective and absorptive objects in the wirelesspower delivery environment.

In retrodirective wireless power delivery environments, wireless powerreceivers generate and send beacon (or calibration) signals that arereceived by an array of antennas of a wireless power transmissionsystem. The beacon signals provide the charger with timing informationfor wireless power transfers, and also indicate directionality of theincoming signal. As discussed herein, this directionality information isemployed when transmitting in order to focus energy (e.g., power wavedelivery) on individual wireless power receiver clients. Additionally,directionality facilitates other applications such as, for example,tracking device movement.

In some embodiments, wireless power receiver clients in a wireless powerdelivery environment are tracked by a wireless power transmission systemusing a three dimensional angle of incidence of an RF signal (at anypolarity) paired with a distance determined by using an RF signalstrength or any other method. As discussed herein, an array of antennascapable of measuring phase (e.g., the wireless power transmission systemarray) can be used to detect a wavefront angle of incidence. A distanceto the wireless power receiver client can be determined based on theangle from multiple array segments. Alternatively, or additionally, thedistance to the wireless power receiver client can be determined basedon power calculations.

In some embodiments, the degree of accuracy in determining the angle ofincidence of an RF signal depends on a size of the array of antennas, anumber of antennas, a number of phase steps, method of phase detection,accuracy of distance measurement method, RF noise level in environment,etc. In some embodiments, users may be asked to agree to a privacypolicy defined by an administrator for tracking their location andmovements within the environment. Furthermore, in some embodiments, thesystem can use the location information to modify the flow ofinformation between devices and optimize the environment. Additionally,the system can track historical wireless device location information anddevelop movement pattern information, profile information, andpreference information.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example determination of an incidentangle of a wavefront, according to some embodiments. By way of exampleand not limitation, the incident angle of a wavefront can be determinedusing an array of transducers based on, for example, the received phasemeasurements of four antennas for omnidirectional detection, or threeantennas can be used for detecting the wavefront angle on onehemisphere. In these examples, the transmitting device (i.e., thewireless device) is assumed to be on a line coming from the center ofthe three or more antennas out to infinity. If the at least threedifferent antennas are located a sufficient known distance away and arealso used to determine incident wave angle, then the convergence of thetwo lines plotted from the phase-detecting antennas is the location ofthe device. In the example of FIG. 7,

${\theta = {\sin^{- 1}\left( \frac{\lambda\;\Delta\;\phi}{2\;\pi\; s} \right)}},$where λ is the wavelength of the transmitted signal, and Δϕ is the phaseoffset in radians and s is the inter-element spacing of the receivingantennas.

If less than one wavelength of antennas spacing is used between twoantennas, an unambiguous two-dimensional (2D) wavefront angle can bedetermined for a hemisphere. If three antennas are used, an unambiguousthree-dimensional (3D) angle can be determined for a hemisphere. In someembodiments, if a specified number of antennas, e.g., four antennas areused, an unambiguous 3D angle can be determined for a sphere. Forexample, in one implementation, 0.25 to 0.75 wavelength spacing betweenantennas can be used. However, other antenna spacing and parameters maybe used. The antennas described above are omnidirectional antennas whicheach cover all polarities. In some embodiments, in order to provideomnidirectional coverage at every polarity, more antennas may be neededdepending on the antenna type/shape/orientation.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example minimum omnidirectionalwavefront angle detector, according to some embodiments. As discussedabove, the distance to the transmitter can be calculated based onreceived power compared to a known power (e.g., the power used totransmit), or utilizing other distance determination techniques. Thedistance to the transmitting device can be combined with an angledetermined from the above-described process to determine devicelocation. In addition, or alternatively, the distance to the transmittercan be measured by any other means, including measuring the differencein signal strength between sent and received signals, sonar, timing ofsignals, etc.

When determining angles of incidence, a number of calculations must beperformed in order to determine receiver directionality. The receiverdirectionality (e.g., the direction from which the beacon signal isreceived) can comprise a phase of the signal as measured at each ofmultiple antennas of an array. In an array with multiple hundreds, oreven thousands, or antenna elements, these calculations may becomeburdensome or take longer to compute than desirable. In order to addressreduce the burden of sampling a single beacon across multiple antennaelements and determining directionality of the wave, a method isproposed that leverages previously calculated values to simplify somereceiver sampling events.

Additionally, in some cases it is extremely beneficial to determine if areceiver within the charging environment, or some other element of theenvironment, is moving or otherwise transitory. Thus, rather than theabove attempt to determine actual or exact location, the utilization ofpre-calculated values may be employed to identify object movement withinthe environment. Each antenna unit automatically and autonomouslycalculates the phase of the incoming beacon. The Antennas (or arepresentative subset of antennas) then report the detected (or measuredphases up to the master controller for analysis). To detect movement,the master controller monitors the detected phases over time, lookingfor a variance to sample for each antenna.

FIG. 9 depicts a block diagram illustrating example components of arepresentative mobile device or tablet computer 900 with a wirelesspower receiver or client in the form of a mobile (or smart) phone ortablet computer device, according to an embodiment. Various interfacesand modules are shown with reference to FIG. 9, however, the mobiledevice or tablet computer does not require all of modules or functionsfor performing the functionality described herein. It is appreciatedthat, in many embodiments, various components are not included and/ornecessary for operation of the category controller. For example,components such as GPS radios, cellular radios, and accelerometers maynot be included in the controllers to reduce costs and/or complexity.Additionally, components such as ZigBee radios and RFID transceivers,along with antennas, can populate the Printed Circuit Board.

The wireless power receiver client can be a power receiver client 103 ofFIG. 1, although alternative configurations are possible. Additionally,the wireless power receiver client can include one or more RF antennasfor reception of power and/or data signals from a power transmissionsystem, e.g., wireless power transmission system 101 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 depicts a diagrammatic representation of a machine, in theexample form, of a computer system within which a set of instructions,for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed.

In the example of FIG. 10, the computer system includes a processor,memory, non-volatile memory, and an interface device. Various commoncomponents (e.g., cache memory) are omitted for illustrative simplicity.The computer system 1000 is intended to illustrate a hardware device onwhich any of the components depicted in the example of FIG. 1 (and anyother components described in this specification) can be implemented.For example, the computer system can be any radiating object or antennaarray system. The computer system can be of any applicable known orconvenient type. The components of the computer system can be coupledtogether via a bus or through some other known or convenient device.

The processor may be, for example, a conventional microprocessor such asan Intel Pentium microprocessor or Motorola power PC microprocessor. Oneof skill in the relevant art will recognize that the terms“machine-readable (storage) medium” or “computer-readable (storage)medium” include any type of device that is accessible by the processor.

The memory is coupled to the processor by, for example, a bus. Thememory can include, by way of example but not limitation, random accessmemory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM) and static RAM (SRAM). Thememory can be local, remote, or distributed.

The bus also couples the processor to the non-volatile memory and driveunit. The non-volatile memory is often a magnetic floppy or hard disk, amagnetic-optical disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), suchas a CD-ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM, a magnetic or optical card, or anotherform of storage for large amounts of data. Some of this data is oftenwritten, by a direct memory access process, into memory during executionof software in the computer 1000. The non-volatile storage can be local,remote, or distributed. The non-volatile memory is optional becausesystems can be created with all applicable data available in memory. Atypical computer system will usually include at least a processor,memory, and a device (e.g., a bus) coupling the memory to the processor.

Software is typically stored in the non-volatile memory and/or the driveunit. Indeed, for large programs, it may not even be possible to storethe entire program in the memory. Nevertheless, it should be understoodthat for software to run, if necessary, it is moved to a computerreadable location appropriate for processing, and for illustrativepurposes, that location is referred to as the memory in this paper. Evenwhen software is moved to the memory for execution, the processor willtypically make use of hardware registers to store values associated withthe software, and local cache that, ideally, serves to speed upexecution. As used herein, a software program is assumed to be stored atany known or convenient location (from non-volatile storage to hardwareregisters) when the software program is referred to as “implemented in acomputer-readable medium”. A processor is considered to be “configuredto execute a program” when at least one value associated with theprogram is stored in a register readable by the processor.

The bus also couples the processor to the network interface device. Theinterface can include one or more of a modem or network interface. Itwill be appreciated that a modem or network interface can be consideredto be part of the computer system. The interface can include an analogmodem, ISDN modem, cable modem, token ring interface, satellitetransmission interface (e.g. “direct PC”), or other interfaces forcoupling a computer system to other computer systems. The interface caninclude one or more input and/or output devices. The I/O devices caninclude, by way of example but not limitation, a keyboard, a mouse orother pointing device, disk drives, printers, a scanner, and other inputand/or output devices, including a display device. The display devicecan include, by way of example but not limitation, a cathode ray tube(CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), or some other applicable known orconvenient display device. For simplicity, it is assumed thatcontrollers of any devices not depicted in the example of FIG. 10 residein the interface.

In operation, the computer system 1000 can be controlled by operatingsystem software that includes a file management system, such as a diskoperating system. One example of operating system software withassociated file management system software is the family of operatingsystems known as Windows® from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.,and their associated file management systems. Another example ofoperating system software with its associated file management systemsoftware is the Linux operating system and its associated filemanagement system. The file management system is typically stored in thenon-volatile memory and/or drive unit and causes the processor toexecute the various acts required by the operating system to input andoutput data and to store data in the memory, including storing files onthe non-volatile memory and/or drive unit.

Some portions of the detailed description may be presented in terms ofalgorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bitswithin a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally,conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of operations leading to adesired result. The operations are those requiring physicalmanipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily,these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capableof being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwisemanipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasonsof common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements,symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the followingdiscussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description,discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “computing” or“calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to theaction and processes of a computer system, or similar electroniccomputing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented asphysical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registersand memories into other data similarly represented as physicalquantities within the computer system memories or registers or othersuch information storage, transmission or display devices.

The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently relatedto any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general purposesystems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachingsherein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specializedapparatus to perform the methods of some embodiments. The requiredstructure for a variety of these systems will appear from thedescription below. In addition, the techniques are not described withreference to any particular programming language, and variousembodiments may thus be implemented using a variety of programminglanguages.

In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone deviceor may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient machine in a client-server network environment or as a peermachine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may be a server computer, a client computer, a personalcomputer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a set-top box (STB), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, an iPhone, aBlackberry, a processor, a telephone, a web appliance, a network router,switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set ofinstructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be takenby that machine.

While the machine-readable medium or machine-readable storage medium isshown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term“machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium” shouldbe taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encodingor carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and thatcause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of thepresently disclosed technique and innovation.

In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments of thedisclosure, may be implemented as part of an operating system or aspecific application, component, program, object, module or sequence ofinstructions referred to as “computer programs.” The computer programstypically comprise one or more instructions set at various times invarious memory and storage devices in a computer, and that, when readand executed by one or more processing units or processors in acomputer, cause the computer to perform operations to execute elementsinvolving the various aspects of the disclosure.

Moreover, while embodiments have been described in the context of fullyfunctioning computers and computer systems, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the various embodiments are capable of beingdistributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that thedisclosure applies equally regardless of the particular type of machineor computer-readable media used to actually effect the distribution.

Further examples of machine-readable storage media, machine-readablemedia, or computer-readable (storage) media include but are not limitedto recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memorydevices, floppy and other removable disks, hard disk drives, opticaldisks (e.g., Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD ROMS), Digital VersatileDisks, (DVDs), etc.), among others, and transmission type media such asdigital and analog communication links.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to.” As used herein, the terms “connected,”“coupled,” or any variant thereof, means any connection or coupling,either direct or indirect, between two or more elements; the coupling ofconnection between the elements can be physical, logical, or acombination thereof. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,”and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall referto this application as a whole and not to any particular portions ofthis application. Where the context permits, words in the above DetailedDescription using the singular or plural number may also include theplural or singular number respectively. The word “or,” in reference to alist of two or more items, covers all of the following interpretationsof the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list,and any combination of the items in the list.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the teachings to the precise formdisclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, thedisclosure are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of thedisclosure, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Forexample, while processes or blocks are presented in a given order,alternative embodiments may perform routines having steps, or employsystems having blocks, in a different order, and some processes orblocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/ormodified to provide alternative combinations or subcombinations. Each ofthese processes or blocks may be implemented in a variety of differentways. Also, while processes or blocks are, at times, shown as beingperformed in a series, these processes or blocks may instead beperformed in parallel, or may be performed at different times. Further,any specific numbers noted herein are only examples: alternativeimplementations or combinations may employ differing values or ranges.

The teachings of the disclosure provided herein can be applied to othersystems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements andacts of the various embodiments described above can be combined toprovide further embodiments.

Any patents and applications and other references noted above, includingany that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporatedherein by reference. Aspects of the disclosure can be modified, ifnecessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the variousreferences described above to provide yet further embodiments of thedisclosure.

These and other changes can be made to the disclosure in light of theabove Detailed Description. While the above description describescertain embodiments of the disclosure, and describes the best modecontemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, theteachings can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system may varyconsiderably in its implementation details, while still beingencompassed by the subject matter disclosed herein. As noted above,particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspectsof the disclosure should not be taken to imply that the terminology isbeing redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics,features, or aspects of the disclosure with which that terminology isassociated. In general, the terms used in the following claims shouldnot be construed to limit the disclosure to the specific embodimentsdisclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Descriptionsection explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope ofthe disclosure encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but alsoall equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the disclosure underthe claims.

While certain aspects of the disclosure are presented below in certainclaim forms, the inventors contemplate the various aspects of thedisclosure in any number of claim forms. For example, while only oneaspect of the disclosure is recited as a means-plus-function claim under35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶6, other aspects may likewise be embodied as ameans-plus-function claim, or in other forms, such as being embodied ina computer-readable medium. (Any claims intended to be treated under 35U.S.C. § 112, ¶6 will begin with the words “means for”.) Accordingly,the applicant reserves the right to add additional claims after filingthe application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspectsof the disclosure.

The detailed description provided herein may be applied to othersystems, not necessarily only the system described above. The elementsand acts of the various examples described above can be combined toprovide further implementations of the invention. Some alternativeimplementations of the invention may include not only additionalelements to those implementations noted above, but also may includefewer elements. These and other changes can be made to the invention inlight of the above Detailed Description. While the above descriptiondefines certain examples of the invention, and describes the best modecontemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, theinvention can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system may varyconsiderably in its specific implementation, while still beingencompassed by the invention disclosed herein. As noted above,particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspectsof the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology isbeing redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics,features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology isassociated. In general, the terms used in the following claims shouldnot be construed to limit the invention to the specific examplesdisclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Descriptionsection explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope ofthe invention encompasses not only the disclosed examples, but also allequivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wirelessly chargeable battery apparatuscomprising: a housing; one or more antennas situated within the housing,the antennas configured to receive wireless radio frequency (RF) powerfrom a wireless charging system; one or more electronic circuit boardssituated within the housing, the one or more electronic circuit boardsconfigured to convert the received wireless RF power to direct current(DC) power; one or more batteries configured to store the DC power; anda port disposed on the housing and configured to electrically couple theone or more batteries with an external device to provide the stored DCpower from the one or more batteries to the external device; wherein theone or more antennas are positioned on outside faces of the one or moreelectronic circuit boards to form an orientation-independent wirelesspower receiver.
 2. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim1, wherein the port is configured according to a universal serial bus(USB) protocol.
 3. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim1, wherein the one or more batteries comprise lithium-ion technology. 4.The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising a visual indicator configured to indicate an operationalstatus of the wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus.
 5. The wirelesslychargeable battery apparatus of claim 4, wherein the visual indicator iscoupled with the housing.
 6. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatusof claim 4, wherein the visual indicator is mounted on one of theelectronic circuit boards; and wherein the housing further comprises anaperture formed therein aligned with the visual indicator to allow thevisual indicator to be viewed from outside the housing.
 7. Thewirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 1 further comprising avoltage converter configured to: convert the stored DC power to avoltage different from a voltage of the battery; and supply theconverted voltage to the port.
 8. A wirelessly chargeable energy storagedevice comprising: a housing; one or more antennas configured to receivewireless radio frequency (RF) power from a wireless charging system; oneor more printed circuit boards positioned within the housing and coupledwith the one or more antennas, the one or more electronic circuit boardsconfigured to convert the received wireless RF power to direct current(DC) power; an energy storage device configured to store the DC power;and an output port electrically coupled with the energy storage device,wherein the output port is configured to provide the stored DC powerfrom the energy storage device to an external device; wherein the one ormore antennas are positioned on outside faces of the one or moreelectronic circuit boards to form an orientation-independent wirelesspower receiver.
 9. The wirelessly chargeable energy storage device ofclaim 8, wherein the energy storage device comprises a battery.
 10. Thewirelessly chargeable energy storage device of claim 9, wherein thebattery comprises a lithium-ion polymer battery.
 11. The wirelesslychargeable energy storage device of claim 8 further comprising a voltageconverter configured to: convert the stored DC power to a voltagedifferent from a voltage of the battery; and supply the convertedvoltage to the output port.
 12. The wirelessly chargeable energy storagedevice of claim 11, wherein the output port is a USB port; and whereinthe voltage converter is configured to convert the stored DC power to avoltage of five volts.
 13. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatusof claim 8, further comprising a visual indicator configured to indicatean operational status of the wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus.14. The wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus of claim 13, wherein thevisual indicator is coupled with the housing.
 15. The wirelesslychargeable battery apparatus of claim 13, wherein the visual indicatoris mounted on one of the electronic circuit boards; and wherein thehousing further comprises an aperture formed therein aligned with thevisual indicator to allow the visual indicator to be viewed from outsidethe housing.
 16. A method of manufacturing a wirelessly chargeablebattery apparatus comprising: coupling one or more antennas configuredto receive wireless radio frequency (RF) power from a wireless chargingsystem to one or more electronic circuit boards configured to convertthe received wireless RF power to direct current (DC) power, wherein theone or more antennas are positioned on outside faces of the one or moreelectronic circuit boards to form an orientation-independent wirelesspower receiver; coupling one or more batteries configured to store theDC power to the one or more electronic circuit boards; positioning theone or more electronic circuit boards and the one or more batterieswithin a housing; and coupling an output port to the one or morebatteries, wherein the output port is further configured to couple withan external device to provide the stored DC power from the one or morebatteries to the external device.
 17. The method of claim 16, whereincoupling the output port comprises coupling a universal serial bus (USB)connector to the one or more batteries.
 18. The method of claim 16,wherein the one or more batteries comprise lithium-ion technology. 19.The method of claim 16 further comprising: coupling a visual indicatorto the housing, wherein the visual indicator is configured to indicatean operational status of the wirelessly chargeable battery apparatus.20. The method of claim 16 further comprising: coupling a voltageconverter to the one or more batteries; and configuring the voltageconverter to: convert the stored DC power to a voltage different from avoltage of the one or more batteries; and supply the converted voltageto the output port.